SpaceAtlas Space Object Data
NASA JPL SBDB · 2020 LX

2020 LX

2020 LX is an Amor-type near-Earth asteroid that approaches Earth from beyond our orbit without crossing it, orbiting the Sun at 2.066 AU once every 2.97 yr.

Amor Observations: 47
Orbital Period · P
2.97 yr
v(q)
35.4 km/s
v(Q)
12.1 km/s
Diameter · ≈
0.04 km
TJ
3.62
Eccentricity · e
0.4901

Orbit and dynamics

The path is an ellipse reaching 1.053 AU from the Sun at perihelion and 3.079 AU at aphelion, a radial span of 2.026 AU.

Applying Kepler's third law to a = 2.066 AU gives an orbital period of 2.97 yr, or about 1,085 days.

The high eccentricity (0.49) produces a strongly elongated orbit, so the object spends most of its time far from the Sun.

Its inclination of 2.39° keeps it close to the plane of the ecliptic.

By the vis-viva equation its orbital speed rises to 35.4 km/s at perihelion and falls to 12.1 km/s at aphelion.

Its perihelion lies just outside Earth's orbit, which is why it is classed as Earth-approaching rather than Earth-crossing.

Size and surface

No direct size measurement is available; from an absolute magnitude of H = 24.85 and an assumed geometric albedo of 0.14, the diameter works out to roughly 0.04 km.

Observation record and orbit quality

The current orbit solution is based on 47 observations and has a weighted RMS residual of 0.5238 arcseconds.

Condition code U = 6 indicates a moderately constrained orbit; predictions decades ahead still carry noticeable uncertainty.

About these computed values

Orbital periods, perihelion and aphelion speeds, and diameter estimates on this page are computed by SpaceAtlas from the JPL SBDB orbital elements. They are derived quantities, not values copied from the source catalogue.

Orbital Parameters

Semi-Major Axis
2.066 AU
Eccentricity
0.4901
Perihelion
1.053 AU
Aphelion
3.078547 AU
Inclination
2.39°
Orbital Period
— yr
Epoch
2461200.5
Mean Anomaly
1.43°

Orbit diagram

The Sun sits at the focus (orange). Earth's orbit is the grey circle at 1 AU. The red dot marks the object's position at the catalog epoch.

3D orbit (interactive)

Drag to rotate; scroll or pinch to zoom. The Sun is at the focus (orange), Earth's orbit is the grey ring at 1 AU, and the red dot marks the object's current position.

Close approaches

Predicted close approaches to Earth, from NASA's Center for Near-Earth Object Studies (CNEOS).

Date (UTC)Miss distanceVelocity
2029-Apr-29 03:10 0.411822 AU
61607633 km
19.01 km/s

Distances in astronomical units (AU) and kilometres. Source: NASA/JPL CNEOS Close Approach Data API.

Physical Parameters

Diameter
— km
Albedo
—
Density
— g/cm³
Rotation Period
— h
Absolute Magnitude
24.85

Orbit Quality

RMS
0.52383
Condition
6
Orbit ID
—
Data source: NASA JPL Small-Body Database · NASA CNEOS. Orbital periods, perihelion and aphelion speeds, and diameter estimates on this page are computed by SpaceAtlas from the JPL SBDB orbital elements. They are derived quantities, not values copied from the source catalogue.

Keep exploring

Explore asteroids, comets and near-Earth objects with JPL orbital data.